The Kids
Inspired by Jessie Love ASMR's "Helping a Wounded Vampire" Series
746 words
Divider by @thecutestgrotto
Okay so technically, Jessie's channelversary is February 17th for her audios, HOWEVER- still wanted to give her props so I'm doing August 9th for her YouTube anniversary- then next year I'll do it properly- ANYWAY HAPPY CHANNELVERSARY JESSIE!!!
You sucked in a breath as you finally made it up to your apartment door. There was just one problem.
Rolling your eyes at the items filling your arms, you lightly kick the base of the door. “Bridgette! You home?!”
There was a pause, then faint footsteps approached from the other side. The door unlocked and you saw your Maker peering out at you.
“Hey- whoa! What’s all this?”
You looked back at her, feeling your arms start to give from the weight. “Help-”
Bridgette opened the door and caught a few bags just as they started to fall. “Okay, it’s okay, we got it-”
The two of you managed to get everything inside and on the kitchen counter. Sighing in relief, you sat down on the floor to rest for a bit while Bridgette started sorting through your purchases.
“What’s all this for?” she asked, lightly nudging your foot with hers.
“Mm- shopping trip? We were running low on some things.” You stood up and groaned lightly, opening up one of the more carefully wrapped packages. Bridgette had walked a few steps away, putting up some of the items.
“Well, looks like we won’t have to worry about holiday decorations… two months before Christmas.” She turned back to you, scanning the counter to see if anything else needed to be put away. “What, did you go and get a present for me too already?” She saw you watching her closely. “Um-”
You slid across the book you pulled out of the bag, then rested your chin on your folded arms, looking up at her.
“W-what’s this?”
“Open it,” you said simply.
Glancing at you suspiciously, she cracked open the cover and started flipping through the pages. “It’s a yearbook?”
“Check the dates.”
“... this was sixty years ago- wait.” She flipped back to the first page and froze. “This was the school I used to teach at…”
You watched her page through the book more slowly this time, pointing out the co-workers and students she recognized. Then she reached her own class.
The children smiled up at her from the page, eyes wide with excitement at getting their picture taken. She smiled back at the photo, a little sadly.
“They were all so young… so eager to learn. They were the best kids I could’ve asked for,” Bridgette whispered.
An envelope slid across the counter and bumped her hand. She looked up at you in surprise. You gestured to the letter.
She opened it carefully and unfolded the paper inside, reading it silently. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
Dear Ms. Bridgette,
We’re not sure if you’ll remember us, but you used to teach our class a while ago. We ran into your friend today when they stumbled across our little yearly reunion, and they told us that you were still around!! We hope you’re well and getting the care you deserve. You were one of the best teachers we’ve ever had the privilege to learn from, and we missed you greatly when you left. The circumstances surrounding your disappearance were never exactly cleared up- the adults at the time told us that you’d decided to go on an extended leave of absence. However, most of us believed you’d gone to fight whatever had been causing the other disappearances at the school- and that you won, since no one else was harmed afterwards.
We’re sending this and one of our yearbooks with your friend so you can remember some of the old days. Again, thank you for everything, Ms. Bridgette. May you have a long life.
Sincerely,
A list of signatures from her old students decorated the bottom of the letter. Bridgette wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath.
“They’re all doing really well- all of them are still around, to my knowledge. Most of them got really successful jobs, actually.”
You paused for a minute, then walked over to her and slipped your arms around her waist from the back. “You okay?” you whispered in her ear.
She nodded, sniffing. “It’s just- I’d hoped they were okay after I gave myself up to Adam, but I never imagined anything like- like this.”
“Your sacrifice was worth it, Bridgette. And they cherish it too.” You squeezed her lightly and kissed her cheek. “Don’t forget that.”
After a moment of silence, you cleared your throat and reached for the book. “Okay- tell me about the kids though, because what on earth is going on here…”
